Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Hosted by Colorado Lady. Please visit her blog for more vintage treasures.

In the spring of 2009, I bought a 1950s Singer sewing machine in a cabinet with a matching chair for twenty dollars. Included in the seat compartment was this little four pack of sewing books.

There was also this lovely instruction booklet.

I have never used Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound. Every second page of Home Dressmaking is a an advertisement or testimonial of the remarkable healing powers of Lydia's vegetable compound. No doubt this publication was complimentary.

Monday, September 28, 2009

This quilt took me twenty years to finish because I was too sensitive back then.

In 1987, I cut and pieced the top. I made the backing , then pinned the top, batting and backing together.

I showed my treasure to my loving husband. His only comment was he was not fussy about the colour. I immediately packed it up in a plastic bag and stashed it in my playpen. At that time, I only had a playpen full of fabric, one sewing machine and no serger.

As the years passed, sometimes I would share my unfinished quilt with my sewing friends. I would pull it out of the bag and unfold it, tell the story about Doug not being fussy about the colours. The comments I got were always the same, I should finish it as who really cares if he likes the colours.

Tammy's Craft Emporium began hosting Stitch n Bitch in the fall of 2006 after my son's bedroom was converted to sewing room. Once I had a big closet, the playpen was retired. Again I revisited my stash of fabric and incomplete projects. In the summer of 2007, I finished it. Twenty years ago, when I started quilting it I was using invisible thread and stitching in the ditch. Two years ago, I scrapped the invisible thread and stippled the light fabric on the inside and the coloured print on the outside border. When it was finally finished, I showed it to Doug. He said it was really nice.

My Burgoyne Surrounded quilt is permanently displayed on the back of a comfy chair in my Craft Emporium.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

It really started out with these dinner napkins. I made 30 of them and gifted away two dozen. I had only six left. The fabric is 100% cotton and very soft. Every time I looked at these six napkins I kept seeing a quilt.

The fabric was 45 inches wide and my dinner napkins are 20" x 20". So I ended up with 24 3.5" squares. I have a magic closet in my craft emporium that is floor to ceiling fabric. I looked high and low to find fabrics for the chicken quilt. I wanted a nine-patch using as many colours from the napkin as possible. I went back to the fabric store trying to find more red chicken fabric but of course they were sold out. So I found another chicken fabric with a green barnyard country background.

My daughter Shannon designed the layout on paper, then we meticulously cut out the strips and pieces. Unfortunately, when the piecing was done on four different sewing machines at stitch n bitch, I neglected to calibrate every sewing machine to make sure all the 1/4 inch scant seams were identical. What ended up happening was the blue and white nine patches were not all the same size.

By the time the problem was realized over half of the larger nine blocks were finished. So I squared the big blocks to 10.5" instead of 11". The inside and outside boarders are square. If you look real close you will see that some of the small nine patch blue and white blocks are not square. Ooops. It is a queen size quilt with 100% cotton batting and flanelette backing.

I was short six red chicken blocks, two of my dinner napkins were cut up for the cause. Then I had an extra block so I made a matching pillow. The pillow was my first attempt using welting string. I looked it up on the net and thought I can do that. Well it was not quite as easy as it looked on the net.

My grandma is 95 years old. She was married at 17. Grandma got her first and only sewing machine a Singer treadle in the 1930s. She has not sewn very much in the past five years due to poor health. Grandma lives in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Canada (434 miles or 700 kilometres west and north of me). When I went to visit her in August 2009, she insisted on giving me this quilt.

What is neat about Grandma's quilts is that she never buys fabric to make a quilt. She cuts up old clothes mostly fortrell and polyester then sews it all together on her old treadle.

She pieced the back together with scraps as well.

Then she puts something in the middle (I asked) she can't remember if it was an old housecoat or worn out blanket. As this quilt is a wee bit thin I suspect it was the housecoat. Her technique is simple. She sews the top and bottom right sides together like a pillow case, then turns her quilt stuffs the filling in and sews the bottom shut. She ties the layers together with yarn. That's it, Grandma Rose's quilt is finished.

It is not the prettiest fabric, but I think it is beautiful as it is the last quilt my Grandma Rose will ever make for me.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Nathan is my great nephew. He was born in Calgary on my 50th birthday.

In 1998, I was into collecting beanie babies and buddies. The creator of beanies made millions on these lovely toys. When the line was discontinued and then reintroduced later they lost their appeal as a collectible. So I ended put with two giant comforter bags full of buddies. Every baby quilt I make gets a matching beanie buddy for baby to love My two comforter bags is now only one bag.

This is a Precious Moments baby quilt with matching toy bag. I have added ribbons to the bag and quilt as tots love to fondle them. The bag has a front pocket for story books.

The quilt was sewn with my Husqvarna 500 for Elyssa. I put baby's name in contrasting thread on the quilt as well as my initials and the year (ted 2009) in matching thread usually on the binding.

This quilt top was made of 100% cotton top, batting and back flannelette. The binding is 100% nylon and the ribbons are 100% polyester.

I hope the child will drag the quilt around everywhere. So I straight stitch all seams, then serge them and iron the seams flat. After that I top-stitch every seam with a zig zag stitch. This quilt can be washed and dried several times without any seams letting go.

Since I am off work with a fractured ankle, I decided to take the plunge to start my own blog, as I enjoy reading other people's blogs so much.

On Wednesday evenings I host "stitch n bitch" a sewing group where my friends and I get together to drink tea and sew. We sew all kind of things including nylon reusable grocery bags, lunch bags, tote bags, baby quilts, crib sheets, tea towels, table cloths, dinner napkins, baby crib mattress pads, rag quilts, Halloween costumes, ball dresses, cafe curtains, sheer drapes, yoga eyeball pillows and of course quilts all kinds of quilting projects. We really do not do much bitching but we sure do a lot of laughing.

Tammy's craft emporium is my huge sewing room which was my now grown up son's bedroom. The emporium is filled up to capacity with sewing machines, thread (I love thread), knitting supplies, fabric, patterns, quilting books, tea pots, tea cups and tea. The overflow is stored in my grown up daughter's closet and the rumpus room of our basement. It was a very good thing that my kids grew up so I have their bedrooms to store all my toys. I lay out my quilt tops on Shannon's queen sized bed. My ironing board, cutting table, measuring rulers and cutting tools live in the rumpus room along with four sewing machines. I even have a Piedmont (Pearl) sewing machine in my computer room upstairs!

I collect sewing machines, thread, fabric, books, dvds and patterns. At the moment, I own 12 sewing machines and one serger. My oldest sewing machine is a Bernard Stoewer treadle made in Germany in 1910. My youngest one is a Pfaff QE 4 purchased in March 2009 also German design but made in China. I have become my own sewing machine techie with my vintage and treadle machines. I enjoy the challenge of restoring an old sewing machine that was completely ceased up back to sewing lovely precise stitches. Some say treadle machines are good for varicose veins and circulation in your legs.

I am happily married for 29 years and counting. My husband (Doug) is my very best friend, the love of my life and soul mate. One day I was sewing alone in my craft emporium when Doug comes in. He told me if I knocked out one wall I could fit five more sewing machines in there. To which I replied "good idea!" Yup, I definitely married the right man!

Veto

Véronique & Scott

Liam - Favourite Grandson

Lily

Lily on a mission..

My Sewing Machines!

I wish my vintage machines could tell their stories of where they have been, what they sewed and how they were loved.

American Home

Introducing Pinky! - Japanese 15 Clone

1910 Bernard Stoewer Treadle

Made in Germany

1940 Singer 15-91 (Pearl)

This machine has a geared driven motor. Sold to Linda in Glenboro April 2015

1960s Imperial - Ruthie

Made in Japan. Ruthie was gifted to an immigrant family in August 2010.

Bernina Nova 900 (Novalee)

Manufactured in Switzerland between 1982-1985. Sold to Marge in Steinbach, Manitoba in February 2012.

1983 Bernina 930 Record

Manufactured in Switzerland

Elna Air Electronic TSP

Manufactured in Switzerland in 1976. This machine was gifted to my niece in September 2010.

1954 Elna Supermatic

Manufactured in Switzerland. This machine was sold to Jeanne In Winnipeg December 2011.

1970s Elna Supermatic (Ella)

Manufactured in Switzerland. Sold to Kristen in Winnipeg in December 2011.

Elna SU 62C

Manufactured in Switzerland. Purchased in July 2013 and sold in August 2013.

1996 Husqvarna 500 (Heidi)

Made in Sweden. I bought it new in 1997 and to this day it is still my favourite machine. Heidi complete with the cabinet she sits on was gifted to Shannon in July 2011.

Husqvarna 530 Lily

Manufactured in Sweden 1997 traded for the 555 in March 2012

Husqvarna Lily 555

Manufactured in Sweden sold to Rosalie in Stonewall May 2015

1979 Husqvarna 6570 (Ruby)

Manufactured in Sweden. Ruby was sold to Sandra in Winnipeg March 2012.

1961 Necchi Lelia 513

Made in Italy - sold to Maria in Winnipeg January 2013

1954 Necchi Mira BU

Manufactured in Italy. Mira was sold to Cindy in Florida in January 2012.

Pfaff 7510 (Phyllis)

Isn't she pretty? Phyllis was sold in June 2011.

Ms. Remington

I'm just tickled pink with her!

Singer Genie 354

Manufactured in France in 1974. Traded in to upgrade embroidery machine in September 2013.

Singer featherweight - Tinkerbell!

A tiny black beauty. Traded in to upgrade embroidery machine in September 2013.

1956 Domestic Automatic (Wilma)

Manufactured in Japan. This machine has a dozen cams to make fancy zig-zag stitches. Wilma was given to my son Jason in August 2013, she lives in Calgary now.

Domestic badge

Fancy sewing machine cabinet

In 1988, I bought this cabinet without a machine for $35. My husband took it apart. It took me four months of evenings and weekends to strip and refinish it. Doug put a shelf in to fit a modern free-arm machine. Since 1997 this cabinet is home to Shannon's Husqvarna 500.

Elna Stella (Stella)

My Wee Sewing Machine made in Switzerland. Stella weighs about 12 pounds. This machine was sold on ebay to a lady in Hawaii.